One of our local chain stores is having a sale on rotisserie chickens $4.99 and I earned $3.00 over the week-end on a survey so decided to buy two. So around 3.88 each. I will cut up and debone one and freeze it in portion size for later. I have not found what I am looking for to make gf yeast bread but did find a recipe for ketogenic "English Muffin." Very easy to make with coconut flour, egg, and Parmesan cheese.. It does not taste like a wheat based one but it was quick and tasty.. I cooked an egg and added a sprinkle of cheese and pretended it was an Egg McMuffin. Will consider buying ham next month to make it more of a realistic Egg McMuffin but for now it hit the spot.

I thawed out some leftover enchilada meat and made 2 tacos with it for lunch and then used the last to make a taco salad. I had used rice with the enchilada meat to use up some rice in the fridge. I could not really tell the difference in taste or texture so from now on will use rice to help extend the meat when I make tacos.I think I might mash it up somewhat to make it blend in better more for looks rather than for taste or texture. Looks like maggots in the meat..gag.....lol.

I have decided to really cut back on my grocery budget.. That is one area that I gave myself permission to go over budget if I see a sale. However I need to stop doing that and work more on using up what I have and maybe later on start a stock up. I really need to build an emergency fund that is more important than buying to be buying and thinking I am saving money.. No I need to actually save the cash. A few things have come up like Teddi's special shampoo and the garden hose.. Both necessary but had to take money from my savings to buy them.. Although Teddi's was mostly paid for with gift cards. I had planned on using the gift cards for a hose.

I do enjoy looking for recipes for things I have on hand so it if fun to see what I can come up with.. Janet Alliesmama

Last edited by alliesmama4 on Fri Aug 17, 2018 8:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

Today I plan on canning peaches. My trees are so loaded with them. The last two years someone has come in and stripped my trees. Once under the cover of darkness and last year while I was out shopping with my aide. She said she will never forget pulling in to my driveway and all seeing all of my peaches were gone.. Three trees full of peaches completely bare.. How does someone do that to another person? A couple of years before that they came in and completely stripped my pear tree. That would involve using a very high ladder.. That was in broad daylight while my aide and I were out shopping. The scary thing is I am usually home so someone must be watching me close enough to manage coming in when I am not home. I live in a rural area and do not keep a regular schedule. My SIL gave me a lot of her canning jars and I have lids so I will only need sugar and fruit fresh.. I do need to buy the Fruit Fresh but have the sugar. I bought it on sale around the holidays. Janet Alliesmama

Taking a break right now. Went out and picked around 100 peaches this morning. The trees are still loaded.. Plan on canning later on today.. I seem to tolerate cooking better in the late afternoon in to evening. I looked in my pantry where I keep Sure-gel and my canning supplies and found some Fruit Fresh. I do not remember buying it and it is good until 2019 so that problem was solved. I did find a homemade formula to replace Fruit Fresh and it is very easy and cheap for when the Fruit Fresh runs out. I checked on the wild grapes. They are not ready to be picked. I went on line last night and they said they make great tasting jelly..They are really sour with huge seeds and not good for anything else but jelly. I am not a big grape jelly fan but free is free and will hardly cost anything to make. As they say make hay while the sun shines.

I am really cutting everything to the bone. Usually this time of year I stock up on school notebook paper for my household needs like making lists, doing inventory, etc.. I have a ream of paper for my printer and the printer is not hooked up so why buy more paper. If I feel I need or want lined paper will just use a ruler and I have a hole puncher if I want to put it in a notebook. It is the little things that tend to slip through the budget.. It does not seem like much but saving a $1.00 here and there can add up to saving more money in the long run.

I have shifted my budget around for the month of Sept and drastically cut the food budget to $ 22.00. Of course that is subject to change but that is my goal. I have some food in the house and plan on centering things around it. I went through some of what I have on hand and planned some menus around things and I think I can make it work.. I think it will be fun to see how far I can stretch things.

Breakfast was a keto egg McMuffin no ham but egg and cheese cost around .25 cents and one egg for Teddi .08 cents. Lunch was tuna fish salad (Free tuna) made with 3 eggs so around .24 cents with mayo from Dollar Tree and this is the third meal I have eaten using this tuna fish salad. There is enough left for a snack. Today and yesterday my snacks were a free peach from my orchard and a few walnuts.. Drinking iced tea made with 14 tea bags from Dollar Tree.. 100 bags for $1.00.. I use more because the bags are just enough to make cup of hot tea.. However I like the taste more than Lipton's.. They have done something to their formula and it doe not take like what I grew up with. I did have 2 and half cups of day old coffee with milk.. Whole milk from Ruler was .54 cents for a half gallon.Their eggs were .98 cents a doz., a head of iceberg lettuce was .84 cents and their cream cheese was .79 cents a brick. I do not know how they make a profit. Ruler is like Aldi's but it is owned by Kroger and they have a lot of their own label products there. They also have gluten free and organic foods at reasonable prices. Bought two half pints of organic cherry tomatoes for .99 cents each. Janet Alliesmama

As they say pride goeth before a fall. I have been doing so well this month and feeling good about my penny pinching. Today My aide and I went shopping and I accidentally locked myself out of the house. Will not bore you with details but I had to pay a locksmith $75.00 to get in. I usually carry an extra set of keys in my purse but had taken them out.. Again will not bore you with details..So I am actually in the hole this month.. Had to take money out of my savings.. The good news is I had the money since I no longer use credit cards. I gave them up in 2015. So Sept is going to be really super frugal.

On the home front I have been picking peaches from my trees. I have three and they are loaded.. This is the first year someone has not come in and stripped my trees before I have a chance to use them. My aide and I worked on them yesterday and we only got 4 pints canned.I have more peaches waiting. I have been using the outside flood lights at night to hopefully deter the thief. Not frugal but in order to save my fruit I will have to bite the bullet. Year before last he came during a full moon and stripped the trees completely.. Then last year my aide and I were gone for 2.5 hours and when we came home every last peach was gone.. Heart breaking! I think I know who he is. Saw someone backing in to my driveway with a truck and hauling trailer.. I think when he realized I was home he left. I had placed myself in a bay window in the front of the house and had the garage door open so he could see my car and that I was home. Anyway we will be canning again tomorrow. Hopefully more than 4 pints. I have ironed out the bugs in my system. So things will go more smoothly. I want to make peach jam and peach chutney.. Not a lot of jam or chutney just a few jars of each...